LOCATION

The island of Murano is not what it used to be. For centuries this dot of land 2km from Venice was the centre of the global glass industry. Its densely packed furnaces churned out chandeliers, vases, goblets and gewgaws, from colorful clowns and twirling dancers to prancing horses and pouting fish. As recently as the 1970s, there were more than 800 furnaces doing a brisk trade on the island.
But times have changed. An influx of cheaper glass put many Venetian companies out of business. And many consumers no longer wanted the elaborately shaped, lurid pieces that many Murano blowers specialized in. Today there are fewer than 80 furnaces left, and many of the island’s old industrial buildings wear for-sale signs.

world and the contemporary sense of things, with an explicit awareness and connection to the past as well. A progressive and open sense of heritage and history, fused with modernity and contemporary conditions, will seek to articulate a comprehensive or simultaneous sense of design, innovation, and “designed interventions” in a historical / existing context.

In Murano - the motherland of glass-making - today’s tourist flow is concentrated mainly in the central part of the island.
The new path proposed by Encoding reimagines the way visitors engage with Murano. Carefully designed to guide you through and across most of the island, it encourages exploration beyond the crowded center. Along this route, you can visit a museum that appears to float within the city, take part in workshops at a glass school, or enroll in a course. You can even sleep in a room suspended in the air, experiencing each part of the day - morning, afternoon, and night - with fresh attention. This curated journey is designed to promote slow tourism: a mode of travel that values depth over speed, encouraging meaningful encounters and lasting memories.

Encoding is slower time, for a stronger memory.